50 Sentences
by aphelion-orion
Summary: Vignettes in the form of 50 themed sentences to the pairings from Lamento - Beyond the Void. -AsatoKonoe, RaiKonoe, BardoKonoe-
1. AsatoKonoe

**Pairing:** AsaKono  
**Rating:** overall R  
**Warnings:** a little bit of sex, a little bit of angst  
**Disclaimer:** NitroChiral owns it, and I'm quite content with that.

**50 Sentences for Asato/Konoe**

**1 - Air**  
He had never known this, this breathless heady sensation that made him feel like he did not quite know what he was doing anymore, but when Konoe took his hand, it was easy, easy to forget fear and awkwardness and to simply not stop, to be rolling around in the grass and shedding dignity like clothing, kissing like air was optional, hoping that thought and reason would never return.

**2 - Apples**  
Sick or not, it seemed so terribly wrong for Konoe to be waiting on him, but Konoe had begun to look rather displeased whenever Asato attempted to get out of bed, and he hated going against Konoe's wishes even more; "Don't make such a face," Konoe scolded gently as he finished cutting the apple into slices, "Sick kitties should stay in bed. Now, open up."

**3 - Beginning**  
Asato knew that it was rude to stare, but he could not seem to help himself—he had never seen such a pretty cat before, with a tail black like his, only much prettier, and the most amazing eyes; he had already tried to apologize for attacking him, but the pretty cat had smiled and said that Asato had just been doing his job; Konoe—Asato tried out the name in his mind, KonoeKonoeKonoe—was pretty _and_ nice, and so he kept staring until Konoe shifted uncomfortably and pointedly stared back at him; feeling his cheeks grow warm, Asato mumbled an apology and bent over to busy himself with the dishes, quietly hoping that the pretty cat wouldn't notice that from underneath his lashes, he was still looking at him.

**4 - Bugs**  
The early summer evening saw fireflies flitting through the hills; Konoe smiled when Asato said that he was going to catch some for him, and pulled him back down when he tried to stand—a moment later, the familiar gently wistful melody filled the air, white-green light surrounding them both; when Konoe stopped singing and the world returned to darkness, it was not really dark anymore—there were clouds of fireflies dancing all around them, hesitantly touching to their ears, their shoulders, one even lighting on the tip of Asato's nose, and when Asato went cross-eyed at the daring insect, Konoe's sweet laughter rose to join the cricket song.

**5 - Coffee**  
Asato's mornings used to be slow, spent blearily groping around for food and items of clothing; now the earthen mug shattered on the floor, forgotten, as Konoe demonstrated the best way to wake up before dawn.

**6 - Dark**  
Konoe loved interlacing their fingers to observe the contrast of white against dark, rubbing the thick calluses on his palms, the small scars on his fingers; these hands treated him with such care, such gentleness, like he was a fragile thing bordering on breaking apart at the seams—sometimes he wished they would grip him tighter, harder, fingers and nails digging into his skin, but he knew Asato wouldn't, couldn't—he would need to learn that he was allowed to touch first, before he could learn that he was allowed to bruise.

**7 - Despair** (companion piece to #25)  
He did not want to hear the foul song that was telling him to _listen, obey,_ but even though he was clamping his hands over his ears as hard as he could, it was still ringing through him, sounding in his head, singing of hatred and fear and darkness, and something in him was answering, something senseless and primordial was rearing up and tearing at his restraints, twisting through his flesh and mind, and he opened his mouth to warn Konoe, but all he could do was scream.

**8 - Doors**  
Asato, Konoe thought, had to have a strange fetish for seeing him dirty—he would have attributed last night's attack to the fact that it had been kuim jam (still warm) splattered liberally across his face, but now it was just earth and dust, and yet Asato had him backed up against the door of the small tool shed, nuzzling and licking him in a manner that had nothing to do with getting clean.

**9 - Drink**  
The clothes sticking to their skin were soaked with perspiration and their tongues were as dry as leather by the time they finally found a spring, but Asato still thought that licking the droplets of sweat from Konoe's face and neck took priority to quenching his thirst.

**10 - Duty**  
He remembered sitting through a bonding ceremony as a child, staring at all the festive decorations, beautiful dresses and the solemn priest; it had seemed to him a grand affair then, the ultimate proof of love, but when he had asked Kagari why she had never bothered to exchange vows with a man, she had looked thoughtful (and a little bit angry), and said, "Love changes into duty all too often"; now, he remembered and thought the words in silence—_...the earth I walk only with thee... thy heart shall be shielded by my heart..._—but saw no reason to say them out loud; there was no need to enchain something which was freely given.

**11 - Earth**  
All he did was take a break from digging for roots, sitting back and wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, unmindful of the dirty streak he was leaving... and Asato was at his side faster than he could blink, resting a steadying hand on his back, eyes full of worry—_Was Konoe feeling alright? Did Konoe want a drink? Did Konoe want to rest? Konoe should rest, he would finish up here, Konoe really should not strain himself so much_—and Konoe had to stop himself from rolling his eyes; there was no use resenting Asato for actions motivated by guilt, so all he did was bump their foreheads together and kiss him into silence.

**12 - End** (companion piece to #19)  
Kagari was furious when she found out that Konoe had suggested a wake in Kaya's flower field—she knew Asato would do anything to please his lover, but she never would have believed Konoe to be so thoughtless; "How could you?" she asked, tightly controlled anger in her voice, "Asato has hated that man for as long as he has lived. And you expect him to forgive?"—Konoe shook his head, "Not forgive. I just want him to find peace"—"_Peace_?!" Kagari exploded, "I, for one, will never forgive that man! Without him, Kaya would still be alive!"; Konoe's eyes narrowed unexpectedly, and although his voice was soft, his words managed to startle her into silence all the same—"Without him, where would Asato be?"

**13 - Fall**  
Konoe had meant to do something useful with the neat pile of dried leaves in the backyard, but Asato had other ideas—he lifted Konoe up by the waist, spun him around, and let himself fall backwards into the pile, laughing and wheezing when Konoe landed on his chest, their faces nose to nose.

**14 - Fire**  
Asato knew that Konoe did not like fire, but there were few things more beautiful than Konoe stretched out on the floor, the flickering light of the flames painting his body dark and golden, the redness on his cheeks due to more than just the heat.

**15 - Flexible**  
There was a crick in his neck from sleeping with his head tucked underneath Asato's chin, his left arm and leg were all pins and needles from being wedged under Asato the whole night, there was a lump digging into his lower back and his nose was feeling itchy—but he was willing to sacrifice comfort to savor this closeness for just a little while longer.

**16 - Flying**  
As a child, he used to watch the birds lift off into the sky, used to wonder what it felt like to be winged, weightless, to leave this earth-bound life behind; now, he knew it could not nearly be as nice as this: the slide of Asato's muscles under his hands, Asato's fingers digging into his skin, desperate to hold and have and _know_, his legs locked around Asato's hips, to drive him _harder, deeper_, the pleasure and happiness singing along his nerves almost too much to bear—this was ecstasy, _this_ was flying.

**17 - Food**  
It had been a long time since he had last been able to eat to his heart's content—honey-sweetened sauce, fresh fruits and soft, delicious meat—so Konoe did not hesitate, closing his eyes and purring in bliss as he sampled Bardo's cooking; he never heard the choked noise from the other end of the table, never saw Asato, cheeks flushed, desperately trying to find something of interest on his own plate.

**18 - Foot**  
"Ah, not my toes! They're dirty!"; Konoe made a show of inspecting them and grinned, "Very dirty," thoroughly enjoying the completely floored look on Asato's face when he drew the first one into his mouth.

**19 - Grave** (companion piece to #12)  
After a while, Kagari began to help Konoe work on making two small wreaths out of blue and white blossoms, because watching Asato solemnly assemble stones in a small mound was just too painful; her hands were unexpectedly clumsy at the task, and after a while, she let the sad attempt at a garland sink into her lap, sighing; Konoe turned to her at the sound, which made her feel ashamed; "Finding peace is... hard," she finally explained, not knowing why, or what she was hoping for, but finding something strangely comforting in Konoe's small, gentle smile.

**20 - Green**  
Every once in a while, when he managed to get himself hopelessly tangled while getting dressed, or had to stand and stare helplessly at an item that needed lifting, he envied Asato his two arms, envied him the everyday ease and grace with which he carried out those tasks, but only for a moment—if it meant saving Asato's life, he would make the same choice all over again, because it wasn't a choice at all.

**21 - Head**  
He did not know what he had been expecting when he had lowered his sword on that fateful night, but it certainly had not been what he received—a gentle thump on his shoulder, looking down and seeing Konoe's forehead resting momentarily against his collarbone, before the younger cat withdrew and smiled at him in a way that made Asato feel tongue-tied and stupidly, deliriously happy.

**22 - Hollow**  
They visited Karou in late autumn of the same year—Asato had had his doubts about going, but Konoe felt he needed to see what had become of his hometown; they stood for a long time, staring at the barren earth Hollow had left behind, when Konoe suddenly tapped him on the shoulder and pointed; Asato squinted against the light, but then he was able to see it, too—amidst the dead, wilted plants, a single yellow flower was blooming.

**23 - Honor**  
They told him to hunt down the spy and kill him, or to be driven out of the village—as good as a death sentence, and he knew it, for there was nothing outside Kira's borders, only empty land for miles, and the thought of being alone was more frightening than the thought of starving—so he did as he was told, heart heavy with the realization that the first person to be nice to him had been a fake, a liar—_of course he was a liar_—and turned his face into the wind to pick up the intruder's scent; this was the only way to redeem his honor.

**24 - Hope**  
Lying here in the darkness, Asato warm and yielding in his arms, it had never felt harder to believe that this man with his gentle eyes and hands should become a monster, senseless and cruel—Asato sighed his name, nuzzling closer, and he tightened his hold; he did not know what to do to prevent this, he did not know what he would do when it finally happened, but he knew that as long as there was breath left in his body, he would not give up on Asato.

**25 - Light** (companion piece to #7)  
Dark, dark, blackness all around, nowhere to go, nowhere to turn, fear–scared, so scared—alone, all alone, and then: a voice, from far away, calling someone—calling him?—shouting something—his name?—there had been someone, hadn't there?—_Tell me! Is this Kira?_—a cat, a pretty cat, prettyprettypretty—_Your tail is much more beautiful_—a strong, courageous cat—_There is more to the world than Kira. Don't you want to see that world?_—a kind cat, so kind, kind face, kind hands, kind voice—_It's okay to be scared. I understand. I'm... the same as you are_—he wanted to reach the owner of that voice, that owner was important—_You belong to me_—he had promised, promisedpromised to the pretty kind cat with the beautiful voice—_I'm yours, always yours. I... belong to_—a name, there had been a name, he needed that name, his most important person—_I belong to you... __**Konoe**_.

**26 - Lost**  
Pressing his scarf to his bleeding shoulder, he made his way through the underbrush, returning to the tree against his better judgment—they might smell him, even if he was careful not to leave a trail of blood, they might still be nearby—but his heart was thumping wildly in his chest when he thought of Konoe, kind beautiful Konoe asleep in the tree, waiting for him to come back, and this thought was stronger than his reason; even from a distance, he could see that the tree was empty, but he crept closer regardless, led by the foolish hope that Konoe might be hiding nearby—the bushes parted and his heart lurched, a split-second before a shadow flew at him, blades drawn, and he did the only thing he could do: he turned and blindly ran back into the forest, the other cat hot on his heels, but the only thing on his mind was the fading hope to see Konoe once again.

**27 - Metal**  
"Spar with me"; he stopped running the rag across his sword, sure that he had misheard, and turned to Konoe, who was looking at him with an intense expression; his eyes darted from the sword that had never left Konoe's hip, not even after he had lost the ability to wield it, to his arm, hanging loosely at his side, useless—this hand could not even grasp a weapon; Konoe caught his gaze, holding it—Asato knew that he did not want pity—and drew the blade with his left hand, unwavering—"Spar with me," and his eyes were as fierce as the day they had met even if his voice was gentle, so Asato knew better than to do anything but oblige.

**28 - New**  
Sparring with Konoe took some time getting used to; at first, he had been terribly afraid that Konoe had no idea what he was asking for, when he was demanding for Asato to go faster, harder, that he would fold under the onslaught—but every day, Konoe improved, becoming stronger and quicker, so all that was left for him was the lingering guilt when Konoe sank into bed at night, bone-tired, and the fear that he would be discarded before long—he had spent so long protecting Konoe, what would become if Konoe did not need him anymore?—Konoe, however, saw through him as always, cupped his cheek and said, "I don't want to stand behind you. I want to stand _beside_ you."

**29 - Old**  
From time to time, Konoe unstrung his father's ring from the chain around his neck and held it up to catch the light; it was peculiar how its shine never faded, how the silver never darkened—he did not receive any more visions when he touched it now, but he was sure that the warmth he was able to feel emanating from the ring was not just his imagination, nor was the faint gladness he could feel coming from the other side of his heart.

**30 - Peace**  
For Konoe, exchanging letters had no longer been enough—he had wanted to see his friends again, so Asato did not tell him that he was feeling anxious about returning to Ransen; he and Rai, especially, had parted on bad terms, the white cat's stony gaze too much for him to bear under the circumstances, which had led to some nasty words he would rather forget—but when Konoe broke away from his side to not quite run the last few steps, joy in his eyes and laughter in his voice—"It's _so good_ to see you again!"—he knew that this was worth a little discomfort.

**31 - Poison**  
The mark was burning hotly against his throat; he could feel the curse eating into him, searing through his flesh and heart, and he was afraid, afraid of what he was going to become, what he was going to be twisted into—but when Konoe's hand, blemished by the very same black bruise, gently stroked across his neck, he felt glad to know that he was not alone.

**32 - Pretty**  
He was happy when the curse was lifted from Konoe, but he was also confused; the glossy black ears and tail were really white, with soft brown tips, and he could not help but be a little sad to know that he was alone again, alone with his ill-luck blackness—but the strangest thing was that he still thought them very pretty, he still wanted to reach out and grab that waving tail and comb it, smooth the fur with careful fingers and lick it clean, slowly, from root to tip, to make it shine—gulping, Asato averted his eyes and decided that it was probably safest to just sit on his hands.

**33 - Rain**  
A gust of wind was whipping sheets of wetness after them even as they stumbled inside as quickly as possible, slamming the door shut; Asato wanted to start a fire, but Konoe yanked him close, shaking his head and peeling them both out of their soaked clothing; Asato let himself be pushed down onto the bed and Konoe followed, tugging the blanket over them both; they lay in silence in the darkness of the covers, shivery skin close to shivery skin, wet tail tangling with wet tail, and Asato found unexpected pleasure in the thought that the air he was breathing in this moment was the same Konoe had just exhaled.

**34 - Regret**  
For a long time, he could not look at Konoe's injuries without wishing that he could tear himself to _shreds_, as he would have done with any enemy who would have dared to wound Konoe so; Konoe, though, accepted neither guilt nor shame, so all that remained for him to give was love, only love, and he gave it gladly, even if it seemed to him to be the most inadequate thing of all.

**35 - Roses**  
He did not know how to go about this, had nobody to ask on the rules and regulations for this sort of thing; it had been agreed upon that he should never be allowed to breed—and how he hated that ugly word; he did not want to _breed_, he wanted to tell someone his feelings, ask to _be_ with him—he thought a gift might be good, though the only person he had ever felt close to was Kagari, and she would have preferred a sturdy hunting knife to anything else—but he liked soft pretty things better, like flowers... he smiled; Konoe might like flowers, too; now the only thing left for him to do was to find the prettiest there were.

**36 - Secret**  
It was Asato who breathed frantic oaths against his skin, sobbed his love against his throat, his shoulder, rasped out desperate pleas in the sound of his name, and it was Konoe who answered silently, with lips and teeth and tongue.

**37 - Snakes**  
Even years later, dreams of a scaly body wrapping itself tightly around his body and _squeezing_ were visiting him on odd nights; it took all his self control not to sob hysterically and go running for the water barrel to check his reflection; he even repressed the desperate urge to examine his arms and legs for intricate bruises, black and possessive like cattle markings—he would not allow the midnight ghosts to rule him.

**38 - Snow**  
He had never seen snow in his life, but it was soft and pretty, white and delicate like flower petals—he did not have time to concentrate on the dancing flakes, though; Konoe was shivering, Konoe was crying, another sight he had never seen before, but he desperately wanted this one to stop and did not know how—so all he could do was hope that his body was big enough to warm Konoe, and that his embrace was strong enough to make the tears stop.

**39 - Solid**  
For the longest time, he had convinced himself that he could survive alone, that he did not mind living life all by himself, until he discovered, with no small amount of shock, how used he had become to having other people around him, and how much he would miss Asato's faithful, steadfast presence at his side.

**40 - Spring**  
The change of seasons brought radiant pink and pearly white blossoms, warm light and sweet scents; Ransen was alive and buzzing with a different energy, an undercurrent of relief and gladness so strong that it was almost tangible; Konoe was sitting on the roof of the inn, listening to the happy thrum of the city, and all too aware that for the longest time, a part of him had thought he would not live long enough to see spring again.

**41 - Stable**  
Whenever he thought he might go mad sitting around, waiting for Leaks to make the next move, Asato was there, distracting him with his wide-eyed enthusiasm for the world he was discovering; Asato kept him calm, kept him sane, and he knew the reason Asato was seeking him out to drag him along was much the same reason why he was allowing himself to be dragged: to avoid thinking about the heavy certainty settling in his heart, that somewhere, something terrible was going to happen.

**42 - Strange**  
Sometimes, Konoe went very still and his gaze became distant, looking not outward but in, listening for the sleeping soul inside him, and Asato did not quite know how to feel about the fact that the man he used to hate existed inside the man he loved.

**43 - Summer**  
The long days of summer were spent in the forest underbrush—the moist heat enveloping them like a thick blanket—crawling around looking for blueberries; they had to wave the swarms of midgets away with furiously lashing tails, before they could bend down to pick the sour-sweet berries off the shrubs and feed them to each other by handfuls, laughing at the way they were staining their fingertips, lips and tongues.

**44 - Taboo**  
Leaving Kira was forbidden; ignoring orders was unthinkable; questioning the teachings was blasphemous—but staring into those defiant amber eyes, Asato realized that he wanted nothing more than for Konoe to convince him to do exactly that.

**45 - Ugly**  
Sometimes, when he caught sight of his reflection, he wondered how Konoe could want this body, which had housed a monster, and still housed the man too weak to fight it; when Konoe caught him at it, he embraced him with a sigh of affectionate exasperation, pressed a kiss to his lips, and said, "It's okay, we all have our blind spots. This just happens to be yours."

**46 - War**  
The beast roared, its enraged bellow shaking the foundations of Toride, and Konoe struggled to think past the blinding pain flaring through his body; the beast roared again, its dark gaze without sense or mind, let alone recognition, and Konoe tightened his grip on his sword—no matter what Leaks thought, this was _not_ over.

**47 - Water**  
Although swimming had become slightly difficult, he still loved the water: loved floating aimlessly, for minutes, small eternities at a time, loved admiring the way water dribbled off Asato's body when he lifted himself up on the riverbank, loved curling up on the smooth, warm rocks, Asato's chest to his back, letting the day-moon's rays and the breeze dry them both.

**48 - Welcome**  
For the longest time, the tightly-knit community of Kira had been his entire world, and even though he had always lived on its periphery, more tolerated than anything else, he clung to it for security and comfort; leaving the village behind was the hardest thing he had ever done, exchanging stability for fear and uncertainty, but daring to anyway because the tolerance of many was nothing compared to that one cat's friendly, warm acceptance.

**49 - Winter**  
All seasons were nice, offering so many vastly different things to experience, but Asato secretly liked winter best, because it would sometimes force him to spend an entire day inside, wrapped snugly in a bundle of blankets, holding Konoe close and being allowed to warm his cold feet between his legs, while the storms raged on outside.

**50 - Wood**  
Asato had always loved trees; they provided him with shelter and solitude, fruit for eating and sturdy branches to swing from—however, the discovery that he could comfortably kiss Konoe on the branch below when hanging upside down was a fairly recent one.

----  
**Longwinded A/N: **I had a lot of fun writing this pairing. Asato/Konoe is very cute and playful, in a sometimes childlike way, which is mostly due to Asato's wide-eyed enthusiasm and childlike personality. In the game, Konoe often remarks that Asato reminds him of a kid, and Asato's utter adoration of him only cements that. Konoe himself is often the more mature counterpart whose insights and gentleness help Asato when he falters due to his own insecurities. What can I say, I'm a sucker for so much cuteness and devotion. XD

- #3: I wrote this way before I ever translated that part of the game, and was surprised how close it was to what was actually happening. So please forgive the similarities. XD  
- #23: Judging from what the translator spit at me, Leaks convinces the Kira cats that Konoe is a Meigi spy, and that they have to kill him. They actually force Asato to go after him, despite his initial protests.  
- #25: Some lines paraphrased from the game. And yes, Asato really says he belongs to Konoe.  
- #44: Asato truly believes that there is nothing outside Kira; it seems the village is an extremely closed off and self-sufficient community, since Asato doesn't even know the concept of money, only being used to trading things in Kira.  
- #38 and #49: Sisa is an island surrounded by a coral reef, and snow seems to be a novelty there. The game is set in the winter season, and all the characters are seen running around in t-shirts and bare midriffs, so it's probably a fairly warm island all year round.

C&C makes me love you and lets me know what you think. So don't be shy! Tell me. XD


	2. RaiKonoe

**Pairing:** RaiKono (duh XD)  
**Rating:** overall R  
**Warnings:** Mentions of sex, blood, violence. All good stuff.  
**Disclaimer:** NitroChiral owns it.

**50 Sentences for Rai/Konoe**

**1 - Motion**  
Rai grinned as their swords clashed, Konoe meeting him thrust for slash, their dance becoming faster and faster; although Konoe was playing on the defensive side, once he got caught up in the heat of the moment, he was truly a sight to behold—skin gleaming with sweat, eyes blazing with defiance, breathing hard yet refusing to be cowed; Rai made no effort to smother the bolt of arousal that ran through him at that—victory would be hard-bought, and very, very sweet.

**2 - Cool**  
The sweltering summer heat prevailed even through the night, and made the sheets stick uncomfortably to their sweat-soaked bodies; Rai disliked heat with a passion and had gone so far as to kick their already-thin blanket off the bed in frustration, yet found himself unwilling to let go of Konoe's sleeping form, not even long enough to cool off.

**3 - Young**  
From time to time, Konoe would become quiet, listening to something Rai could not hear, watching something Rai could not see, and his eyes would be old, so old and filled with the pain from a lifetime ago; Rai did not like that ancient gaze, but did not know how to make it disappear, so all he could do was hold on to him, until those old eyes became young again.

**4 - Last**  
His most shameful secret was that for the longest time, he had not expected them to last, had doubted Konoe's sincerity, loyalty and strength as much as he had wanted to believe in them, whereas Konoe had not doubted him for even a second.

**5 - Wrong**  
Sighing loudly, Konoe scanned the crowd for any sign of a familiar white head poking out of the throng, or any indication of where exactly he was—he hadn't looked for only a second, and they had already gotten separated, he could have sworn Rai had entered that alley, but that had been, what, three turns ago? four?—trying to fight down the rising panic (stupidstupid_stupid_); suddenly, a hand roughly gripped his arm and yanked him around to face a rather annoyed Rai, who growled, "Stupid cat," and leaned forward to nip reproachfully at his ear; Konoe felt too relieved to even get angry at the insult, and swiftly linked their hands together as Rai steered them back towards the main street.

**6 - Gentle**  
Konoe would always reach out to him, quick hands and sly lips catching him before he could withdraw, and their touch surprised him anew every time, mostly because he was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that someone would want to be gentle with him.  
**  
7 - One**  
In Rai's mind, there was little that could compare to this, hands trembling with impatience as he fumbled with the buckles, Konoe kissing his neck and batting his hands away to help; pushing him down on the bed and catching the look in his eyes—_want you, now_—before rolling over on his hands and knees, offering himself; grasping his hips with both hands and pushing in—_heat, so much heat_—and losing himself in the rhythm of their bodies, the overwhelming feeling of being one.

**8 - Thousand**  
Lying here like this, trying to catch his breath and slowly coming down from the high, Konoe realized that there were probably a thousand things he wanted to say, from confessions to observations to wishes, but every time he tried to voice even a single one of them, Rai lightly tweaked his ear and told him to go to sleep; so, in the end, he gave up and let the thoughts go one after another, until there was nothing left except for that feeling of sleepy, bone-deep contentment.

**9 - King**  
He did not realize how nervous he had been about his first job until long after the fight, after they had reported to their client and collected the reward, when relief flooded him like a wave; then Rai pulled him against his chest with a wide, pleased grin, murmuring in his ear that he had done good, _real_good, and he could not help but feel like he could take on the world.

**10 - Learn**  
No matter how much he might have liked to know, Konoe did not prod Rai for his secrets, and instead contented himself with learning the intricacies of the heart that had been entrusted to him.

**11 - Blur**  
He should have known something was wrong when their attackers suddenly fell back—a thin whistling sound, something small and gleaming missing his leg by a fraction of an inch, and a cat with a feral grin appearing on the branches overhead, lifting a blowpipe to her lips; he knew the darts would not miss a second time, knew it even as he ran to try and avoid them—he never saw Konoe move, only heard the dull "thwack" of the striking darts, and when he saw his beloved sanga go down in his stead, his vision was suddenly plunged into red.

**12 - Wait**  
He spent the better half of the next week keeping watch on Konoe's bedside, dabbing the sweat from Konoe's face and chest as he fought the poison-induced fever—the task was futile and mind-numbing, but it kept Rai from tearing his hair out in frustration at his own helplessness; he still could not remember what exactly had happened, only that, after the red haze had cleared, he had been standing in a field of blood, cradling Konoe's limp body—it reminded him too much of the madness, so he tried to avoid thinking about it too much, or what he might do if Konoe did not wake up, instead concentrating on the steadily forming beads of sweat and wiping them away, away, away—right until the fifth day when Konoe opened his eyes, still hazy from the fever, smiled, and said warmly, "Hey."

**13 - Change**  
He could not tell when exactly his interest in Konoe had transformed from a desire for strength into a wish for a partner, an equal, someone to be by his side and do all those little things he had always scoffed at; he only knew by the time he finally recognized that wish for what it was, it was far too late to rationalize it away.

**14 - Command**  
Konoe rarely ever wanted something, for which Rai was absurdly grateful because he could not—physically could not—resist those darkened amber eyes, looking at him so hopefully, so pleadingly, for longer than a minute at a time; he would keep complaining and refusing even as he did whatever Konoe had asked of him, and secretly hoped that his objections were loud enough to hide the fact that Konoe had him completely wrapped around his little finger.

**15 - Hold**  
Rai still responded with the same kind of confusion he had displayed the first time, freezing in honest surprise and staring down at him with a look of complete and utter incomprehension while Konoe hugged him and busied himself with nuzzling or kissing his neck (the only part of Rai conveniently in reach); it always took a while until he would return the embrace—hesitantly, still bewildered—however, Konoe was pleased to notice that the wait was lessening.

**16 - Need**  
Rai managed to deny his feelings right up until the point where what had begun as a cursory interest developed into an insatiable need; until all he could think about was Konoe, with him, beside him, under him, over him, until all he wanted was to have and claim and hold him, and thought he might go a different kind of insane if he didn't.

**17 - Vision**  
Konoe had grown used to the fact that sleeping together often meant synchronized dreaming—what he had _not_grown used to, and was not certain he ever would, was the fact that almost all of them were Rai's memories, real and solid, not the shapeless, meaningless phantoms that simply haunted people sometimes; he knew that Rai would never ask for comfort, might even deny that he needed it, but no longer refused what was wordlessly offered; so, Konoe drew him close, and allowed a few tears to fall, for the horror of the dreams, and for Rai, who no longer knew how.

**18 - Attention**  
It had not taken long for them to make a name for themselves among the headhunters, the downside being that they could hardly frequent bars and taverns anymore without being accosted by at least half a dozen strangers—or rather, _Konoe_was accosted, since he did not share Rai's intimidating stature and brusque manners, and was far more interesting because of his powers; Rai would have had no problem with simply chasing these individuals away at swordpoint, but his partner protested unnecessary violence, so he had taken to slipping up behind Konoe and beginning to bathe his ears in such a blatantly suggestive manner that even the most persistent guy went beet red and politely excused himself before long.

**19 - Soul**  
Konoe knew that the essence that made him himself really consisted of two parts—the part that had originally been intended to be Konoe, and the part that Leaks had ripped from his soul and stuffed inside him—but they did not feel like halves to him, because he had never been aware of being anyone else than who he was, and perceived himself as whole; now, though, there was a new part trying to fit in with the others, the rest of Leaks' soul bleeding into the space left to fill, and although this was what had ultimately saved his life, it was actually feeling the process, the change, that made all the difference, and sometimes a nameless fear would grip him at night, keeping him awake wondering whether he would still be Konoe come morning.

**20 - Picture**  
He had never pictured himself leading this kind of life, camping out in the woods and frequenting seedy taverns, hunting outlaws and monsters no matter the weather or time, but between the rain pelting him, exhaustion, sore muscles, water and mud (and perhaps a bit of blood) making his clothes stick uncomfortably to his skin, and an equally wet and dirty-looking Rai practically purring in his ear in satisfaction at a job well-done, he could not honestly say that he regretted making that choice.

**21 - Fool**  
He would have liked to call it an affair but there had been nothing casual about it; he would have liked to say that he knew what he was doing except that this was nothing but a fancy lie; he would have liked to blame Konoe for confusing him but knew that he had become messed-up long ago; but most of all, he would have liked to label himself a fool, thrice a fool, for not noticing when it had begun to mean so much to him—except that there was a small, often-silenced part of himself that whispered that maybe, this was for the best.

**22 - Mad**  
He abhorred and loathed the demon clawing at his mind, and it abhorred and loathed him too; he feared the day it would break free and control him, but what he feared infinitely more was the fact that he almost shared its longing for the comforting warmth of Konoe's blood.

**23 - Child**  
It should not have come as a surprise that children were drawn to Konoe just like their adult counterparts, and as he watched him laugh with a gaggle of kids, Rai could not help but wonder if Konoe wanted that sort of thing, wanted a family; when asked in a noncommittal tone, Konoe looked at him questioningly, and suddenly grinned, saying, "I've already got a big kid," to which Rai took great offense—but over bristling and yelling threats after Konoe, he completely forgot his initial worry.

**24 - Now**  
Here is now, and now is: lying awake to the steady drone of cicadas filling the night air; enjoying the slight draft from the open window stroking over bare skin, the warmth radiating from the sleeping form close by, the brush of a tail as it twitches involuntarily; breathing in the humid air, almost thick enough to taste; tangling a hand in the beloved's hair, lightly rubbing the skin beneath; hearing a contented hum in return; feeling as if all is right with the world.

**25 - Shadow**  
Insanity and death and fear loomed over them like monsters, waiting to consume them—so he cupped Rai's face and kissed him, kissed him desperately until the guilt was smothered by desire, allowing touch and heat and want to quiet the demons, at least for a little while.

**26 - Goodbye**  
They rarely separated, but when they did, there were no scenes and no goodbye kisses; Konoe liked to withhold these until the reunion, because, as he said, there had to be some sort of incentive for Rai to hurry.

**27 - Hide**  
Rai hated his scar, the symbol of his weakness, and kept it concealed like a shameful thing—Konoe, though, loved it for just that reason; sometimes, under the cover of darkness, Rai would not resist when he untied the leather strip, so he would lean in to kiss the blind eye, trace the jagged, rough line of skin with his fingertips, his tongue, until Rai gripped his arm and, in a voice hoarse with both revulsion and arousal, told him to stop; Konoe knew that this was as far as he could go, and would place a soothing kiss to his brow, before reaching for the black piece of leather and gently restoring Rai's armor.

**28 - Fortune**  
The next time they came to Ransen, the spring festival had transformed the entire town in an explosion of colors and flowers, and Rai had pretty much resigned himself to spending the entire evening being dragged to every booth by an overenthusiastic Konoe, whose eyes only seemed to shine brighter with every new ridiculous game they came across, so he could not hide his surprise when Konoe completely ignored the pseudo-mysterious tent advertising palm-reading and fortune-telling: "Aren't you going in there?" he asked grudgingly, jerking his chin in the general direction of the tent; in response, Konoe smiled and stretched up to kiss his cheek, "I don't need an old lady to tell me how lucky I am."

**29 - Safe**  
Konoe had noticed that Rai tended to react in a severely disgruntled manner when anyone except for him approached him from his blind side; he still tried to avoid doing so, and silently treasured the tiny gesture that spoke volumes of Rai's trust.

**30 - Ghost**  
The years had come and gone, but Setsura resisted change with a quiet stubbornness that Rai had always found remarkable—even the air about the empty, dilapidated house he had once called home remained the same; after a moment of heavy silence, Rai asked Konoe if he could feel anything; Konoe shook his head, and did not mention the two spirits wandering the debris, watching with mournful eyes as their son and his lover continued on.

**31 - Book**  
"You dropped the scrolls," Konoe breathed against his lips, fingering the buckles of Rai's belts suggestively as his lover pressed him against one of the shelves in a darkened corner of the Ransen library, "Not interested in them anymore?"—Rai merely rolled his eye and silenced him with a kiss.

**32 - Eye**  
It seemed so stupid of him to forget what he was usually so acutely aware of—his depth perception was gone; his forgetfulness resulted in two very squashed, very sore noses, and he really would have liked nothing better than to sink into the ground in embarrassment for such a juvenile mistake, but the hand on his arm prevented him from leaving, and then Konoe smiled up at him, wrinkled his nose and said hopefully, "Try again?"

**33 - Never**  
Rai danced around the word 'love' like it was forbidden, a cursed word that would strike him dead if he spoke it aloud, but hidden behind fierce protectiveness, long looks and lingering touches, it was not as if it went unsaid.

**34 - Sing**  
Contrary to many sanga, Konoe never tried his hand at an instrument, or poetry; the songs he imagined (because, really, "composed" seemed so grand a word) were more explosions of feelings than anything else, wordless, aimless melodies expressing his grief and joy and love; he felt embarrassed, almost foolish, to share them, so Rai pretended to be asleep to hear them, and Konoe pretended not to notice the minute movements of Rai's ears as they twitched and turned to follow his songs.

**35 - Sudden**  
The thunderstorm had taken them by surprise, the heavy rain drenching them as they ran for the safety of the nearby forest, lightning flashing over the field as they darted through the first row of trees, thunder a split second behind—they found shelter beneath the wide branches of an old beech and, kicking away their swords as far as they would go, crouched down in the driest spot available; still catching his breath, Konoe rested his cheek against the damp skin of Rai's neck, watching with unabashed fascination as the world around them flickered from black to white, to black.

**36 - Stop**  
"More?"

"More. Never stop."

A chuckle, "Well, if you insist..."

Not quite silence for some time.

**37 - Time**  
All beings die eventually, but Konoe supposed that knowing how soon it would be was what made all the difference; he had never wanted to live so desperately as he wanted to live now, with the people he had met and come to love—so he promised himself that he would make the most of the time that had been given to him.

**38 - Wash**  
At first, Rai had really wanted to do nothing more than sit and brood over his dislocated shoulder—the result of a foolish misjudgment in battle—for the rest of the evening, but it seemed impossible to engage in self-criticism when Konoe was giving him a full-body sponge bath, warm, slick body pressed against his own, gentle touches and a soothing tongue ghosting down his back.

**39 - Torn**  
Sighing, Konoe surveyed the rent lacings of his shirt, wishing not for the first time that Rai would learn to practice the little virtue called restraint.

**40 - History**  
The midnight hour sometimes found him wondering about the nature of the bond between his father and Leaks; what kind of love it must have taken to create a hatred so powerful, what kind of pain could be great enough to make a person rend half his soul from his body, just to silence his heart—however, he was not cruel enough to prod the other side of his consciousness for answers, and instead banished the thoughts by burying his face in Rai's hair.

**41 - Power**  
Even though he knew what was coming, the heady rush always took him by surprise, the power of the battle song coursing through his body, steeling his muscles, guiding his strokes, lending him strength beyond imagination; the feeling was frightening in its intensity, and soothing in its warmth.

**42 - Bother**  
More often than not, he found his plans for sleeping in interrupted by a hot, laving tongue on his neck and a hand brushing teasingly along the inside of his thighs, and he _really_wanted to bite Rai for disturbing his sleep for that, except he never got around to actually doing it because the hand would suddenly wrap around him and _squeeze_, and coherent thought would not return for a very long time after that.

**43 - God**  
He was nowhere near foolish or superstitious enough to attribute his actions or the turns his life had taken to the whims and plans of a deity called Fate, but in moments like this, when Konoe was twined around him and kissing him breathless, he sometimes caught himself wondering about Luck.

**44 - Wall**  
Many people who met Konoe likened him to air, a warm and gentle breeze, but Rai knew he was water, washing away the base of his defenses and catching him when he fell along with his crumbling walls.

**45 - Naked**  
In Rai's opinion, there were few things more enjoyable than Konoe's skin, its scent, its feel, its _taste_, and he took great pleasure in informing Konoe of this, because it made him blush and stutter in denial every time, and that most certainly required a hands-on demonstration to prove his point.

**46 - Drive**  
He had decided long ago that something was definitely wrong with him, if he could look at Konoe in the most mundane situations—struggling to pull a shirt over his head, or sharpening his blade, or with his arms elbow-deep in soapy water—and suddenly want him desperately, hopelessly; but he had also decided not to worry about it too much, and instead trusted Konoe to hit him over the head if he really wasn't interested.

**47 - Harm**  
"Ow," Konoe remarked as he gingerly fingered his left ear, victim to Rai's fangs during a particularly passionate moment, searching for signs of blood or perforation and thankfully finding none; his mood effectively ruined, he turned to regard the perpetrator, who was busy nuzzling his neck in apology, and grumbled, "You can stop sucking up, I'm not going to be disfigured"; Rai ceased his attentions and shifted his hips against him, "Then, we can—" Konoe promptly smacked him and refused to speak to him for the rest of the night.  
**  
48 - Precious**  
He was well aware of his own ineptitude with words, but despite his best efforts, pride seemed to have permanent command of his tongue and sarcasm was more readily available than romance, so "stupid cat" was easier to pronounce than "I love you"; but, thankfully, Konoe seemed to understand what he meant anyway.

**49 - Hunger**  
For the longest time, he had not known that he had hungered for something, but now that he had finally gotten a taste, there was nothing to stop him from attempting to gorge himself on it.

**50 - Believe**  
No matter how dark the times seemed, no matter how impossible the odds, no matter if he himself faltered—Konoe did not stop believing in him, so how could he do anything but go on?

----

**A/N:**Yes, I like romance, why do you ask?

- 17 & 30: I'm not sure how far these assumptions are canon: I've heard people argue that Konoe lost his psychic abilities after Leaks' soul joined with his, just as I've seen Japanese doujinshika and fanficcers use these abilities in post-canon stories. I, for my part, rather like the concept, even in the event it should not be canon—Konoe's father was one of the most powerful sanga ever, after all. It even says in the game that "green grew wherever he (Shui) walked", so I'm assuming Konoe would be naturally powerful and sensitive even without Leaks' raw emotions amplifying those abilities.

- 35: Since this may cause some confusion: Yes, it might seem silly for headhunters to throw away their swords, but: There is a violent thunderstorm directly overhead. Lightning is attracted to metal. So, removing their swords is essential if they don't want to get turned into crisp. XD

- 36: Yup, I cheated a bit. But since all those bits are fragments, and not actual sentences...

C&C is very much appreciated.


	3. BardoKonoe

**Fandom:** Lamento - Beyond the Void  
**Pairing:** Bardo/Konoe  
**Rating:** overall R  
**Warnings:** a little bit of sex, a little bit of angst  
**Disclaimer:** Nitro+Chiral owns everything.

-

**50 Sentences for Bardo/Konoe**

-

**01 – Walking**  
The day is bright and beautiful, even more so because it is the first time since he has come here that he is free, free of curses and devils and fear, and there are so many things he could choose to focus on, but for some reason, his mind keeps returning to the hand in his pocket, large and warm, the calloused fingers stroking gently over his own palm, his wrist, rubbing lightly across the tendons at the back, the caress so sensual and deliberate it is making him blush—"Liar," he says, "You weren't cold at all"; Bardo merely grins and stays silent.

**02 – Waltz**  
The music from the spring festival is audible even in the backyard, a jaunty little tune, and Bardo has taken to humming off-key and doing silly dance steps with the broom in his hand; "What's that you're doing?" Konoe teases, his lips twitching as he fights not to smile; "Dancing. You don't dance?" Bardo replies, and Konoe shakes his head, recognizing too late the mischievous look in the other man's eyes; Bardo grabs his hand, spins him around—"Wah! Hey! Let go!"—and proceeds to show him how it is done properly.

**03 – Wishes**  
He is not used to voicing his wishes, is not even sure whether he had any for the longest time—it was simply easier not to want anything and live life as it came; now, it is just embarrassing to consider the things he suddenly craves, and Bardo knows it, Konoe can hear it in the teasing tone of his voice against his ear—"What do you want? Tell me what you want,"—and he hates how hot his own face feels, so he just grabs Bardo's hand and shoves it _down_, and pretends that he doesn't feel Bardo's muffled laughter against his hair.

**04 – Wonder**  
The bed is warm, Bardo's hands are stroking gently across his skin, and he is exhausted by what they have just done, overwhelmed and a little embarrassed, but his mind is restless, filled with worry for the future—he does not know when, or where, or how, but he knows that they will have to fight, and he is not sure whether they are strong enough to see it through to the end, but nevertheless, he will force himself to believe.

**05 – Worry**  
The last time someone has taken care of him when he was sick was ages ago, when his mother was still alive; the memories are hazy, but he still remembers her cool and gentle hands, her soothing tongue bathing his ears—now, it is different: the hand smoothing back his hair is larger and calloused, and the tongue is hesitant and careful; those attentions are nice, but he draws the line at Bardo trying to feed him the medicine through a kiss: "It's just a cold, so I'm not dying. And the kissing ban is still in effect, so stop thinking up excuses!"

**06 – Whimsy**  
"Alright, I'll be going now," Konoe calls from the doorway, gathering up a bag and the grocery list; he is not prepared for the sound of hurried footsteps, or the hand that jerks him around and right into a deep kiss, with lips and tongues and wandering hands, and it is only when he finally looks satisfactorily ravished that Bardo lets him go, whispering, "See you soon."

**07 – Waste/Wasteland**  
It is not until they are a good distance away from Karou that the pain finally overwhelms him—it hurts, it hurts so bad to remember Hollow's sickly colors covering everything like a rash, every last cat consumed by the Sickness, and he does not even know _why_; he has always been disgusted with the way they selfishly squabbled and fought over every little thing, and yet, the place was _home_—the tears are beginning to trickle down his cheeks and he reaches up to wipe at them angrily, but Bardo's hand on his chin stops him, and when he looks up at him, his face is kind, so he surrenders to the sorrow and allows himself to cry, for being the last cat of Karou.

**08 – Whiskey and Rum**  
There are so many things Bardo would rather forget—failing his friends, failing Rai, mistakes upon mistakes, death and curses and blood—but every time he starts looking at the liquor strangely, he remembers the men he has seen seeking salvation at the bottom of a bottle, and knows it can't be found there; besides, now there is an entirely different way for him to forget: a gentle smile, a kind touch, and a warm green melody that inexplicably soothes his restless conscience.

**09 – War**  
The old wound tends to act up when the weather changes, painful spasms spreading from the twin scars on his hand, the flesh reliving the pain of being pierced by the blade; Bardo always excuses himself when the throbbing starts—Konoe would worry, Konoe would fuss, Konoe would make it _better_, but he doesn't want him to; the wound is so much: a punishment, a warning, the proof that he was strong enough to do the right thing for once, to fight for Konoe, and those are reminders that he does not want to fade, so he clenches his teeth and waits out the pain, in silence, alone.

**10 – Weddings**  
The music is loud and the guests are louder, congregating around the glowing bride and the blushing groom to toss pink blossoms and pussy willows in blessing, so nobody notices when he grabs Konoe and quickly sneaks a kiss behind the buffet.

**11 – Birthday**  
Although it is painless, Konoe can still sense a certain kind of otherness—the feeling of the second half of Leaks' soul trying to fit in next to what is _him_; the process is sapping his strength, making him tired and light-headed, but he forces himself not to concentrate on the strangeness—this is what has saved his life—and instead tries to focus on putting one foot in front of the other; he still stumbles more than he walks on the way back to Ransen, alternately blushing and glaring at the friends who catch him—one with an affected air of exasperation, the other with a grin that is saying entirely too many things.

**12 – Blessing**  
He moans loudly at the feeling of Konoe's fingers in his hair, rubbing gently at his scalp, digging into the hardened knots at his neck, making him squirm and push his head against those wonderful touches like an overgrown kitten; "Feels good?" Konoe chuckles, kneading _more, harder_, and it really is a bit unfair to expect him to answer in such a state, so he just flops back into Konoe's lap, purr redoubling in volume.

**13 – Bias**  
It is endearing how uncomfortable Konoe becomes as soon as attention is paid to his tail, though it is hard to say anything about the subject because calling it 'unique' would make Konoe sad, and calling it 'cute' would make him angry, so Bardo simply contents himself with bathing the soft fur from root to tip, nice and slow, while Konoe settles for moaning out, "Stop it," and hiding his beet-red face in the pillow.

**14 – Burning**  
The first time it happened, it frightened him, that alien heat coursing through his body, clouding his mind, his feelings, until all that remained was that nameless, burning ache; this time, he recognizes the signs, the slow steady fire he first mistook for a fever, and then there is warmth against his back and a hand on his hip, rubbing slowly at the skin there, and Bardo's voice in a low, rumbling purr against his ear, "What do you say we take today off?", so he lets himself be pulled into a kiss, surrendering to the heat with no fear at all.

**15 – Breathing**  
"Ah!" Konoe gasps as Bardo finds a particularly sensitive spot on his lower back, lips sucking lightly on the tender skin, and Konoe can _feel_ him smile, the warm, lazy curl of his mouth; "Pervert cat," he accuses without any real rancor, and Bardo chuckles, the sound making something in his belly tighten and _ache_, but then Bardo's tongue is at the base of his tail, hot and wet and rough, and he just forgets about breathing altogether.

**16 – Breaking**  
He thought he was strong enough, thought he could fight alongside Konoe as long as he kept his mind strong against the curse, but he can feel the foul magic in his body answering that terrifying song—it does not help to cover his ears, no, not at all—the red wave is rising up inside him and he wants to tell Konoe to run, but his mouth won't obey—and then the wave crashes and he feels like he is drowning, thought and reason being ripped from his grasp, and it is almost a relief when he finally knows no more.

**17 – Belief**  
The last time someone believed in him was more than ten years ago, a scrawny white kitten with hungry blue eyes who had an unfortunate predisposition of considering him a person worth emulating, and he managed to shatter that faith beyond repair, so it is more than a little disconcerting that Konoe trusts him so much—but as before, he desperately wants to be worthy of that trust, despite the fact that it is so undeserved.

**18 – Balloon**  
Bardo knows he should get up—day will break soon and the inn does not wait for the world to go back to normal, as he has guests to take care of and stomachs to fill—but this is the first time he has been able to get a good look at Konoe sleeping, half-curled into the sheets, hair and fur in disarray, his breath coming in soft little sighs, so he stays where he is and quietly relishes the feelings that are swelling inside of him, large and nameless and wonderful.

**19 – Balcony**  
Every once in a while, it gets almost too much to bear, the feelings of so many different people pelting him like angry wasps—the devils are especially bad, the emotions they exude tearing at his defenses—so Konoe has taken to climbing to the roof of the inn for a few minutes of solitude; on one occasion, Bardo finds him—it is pretty clear that he wants to ask questions, but it ends up being just the one: "Mind if I sit with you?"— and all Konoe can feel coming from him is a calm tinged with curiosity that feels like the caress of a kind hand, so he slowly shakes his head and scoots over, making room.

**20 – Bane**  
The spirits alone know what brings on those midnight moods, when all his fears and failings manifest themselves in the shape of two bright-cruel eyes and a malicious smirk, and he sees the devil in every shadow, come to take his love away; it takes all his self-control not to growl at the figments—that's all they are, gone, gone, gone forever—but his heart still quails before the notion that he might not be strong enough to protect Konoe, who sleeps on, warm and peaceful, in the circle of his arms.

**21 – Quiet**  
On some nights, Konoe jolts awake, cold with sweat and remembering dreams filled with things he never did, lives he never took, blood and death and living corpses, dancing under a red, red moon; he recoils from the not-memories just as something recoils on the other side of his heart—it takes effort to simply lie back down again, soundlessly, so as not to wake the one beside him, and open his mind to good things, familiar things—Bardo's scent and warmth and sound—until the dual pain in his chest subsides.

**22 – Quirks**  
One of Bardo's little idiosyncrasies is that he likes to give Konoe a check-up every time before work, and he always finds something—a crooked fold, a sloppy hair tie, the fur of his tail sticking up; it is aggravating to be poked and groomed like a child, except Konoe knows what will happen if he does show up for work in pristine condition, not a hair out of place; he would find it simple to ignore if Bardo pouted in his usual overdone manner, but instead, his eyes just mist over with that soft, sad sheen Konoe can't bear to see—he finds it easier to suffer through the morning routine in silence, and hit Bardo over the head when he attempts to cop a feel while tying his apron.

**23 - Question**  
It is one of those questions, Bardo realizes, that will embarrass him for the rest of his life; his mouth likes to say things that weren't intended to ever be said, no matter how much he wonders: "Why choose me?"—why not someone else, someone better, someone stronger, a _good _person—; Konoe stares at him for a moment, as if baffled that he should even ask, before a smile lights up on his face, knowing and warm, "Because I liked what I saw…" his finger tracing Bardo's chest, "…in here."

**24 – Quarrel** (companion piece to #29)  
He admits that it is not the smartest thing he has ever done, but he was worried when he heard that Konoe had gone to the bad part of town—"You followed me. You _trailed_ me, just what is up with that?"—and when he saw Konoe getting into trouble with those thugs, he just reacted out of instinct—"I was _handling_ it, in case you hadn't noticed"—and Konoe doesn't know, he has no idea how fast things can get ugly around here, what was he thinking going there all alone—"But you run errands all the time!"—and it is different when he does it, he knows his way around, he isn't… he isn't—"Isn't what."—isn't so damn young and inexperienced and—"Isn't a _child_, you mean."—and no, _no_, that is _not_ what he meant, but Konoe is staring at him with a hard expression, eyes blazing, and then he just pivots on his heel and marches out, leaving Bardo with the angry silence.

**25 – Quitting**  
There are few things more entertaining than touching Konoe in the afterglow, rubbing his stomach and making him purr, or pressing down at strategic points on his back to hear a breathless little half-moan, or tickling his thighs with his tail to hear him groan, "Quit it", and it is so fun to draw out those little choked sounds that Bardo really does not feel like stopping until Konoe kicks him in the shin and rolls on top of him, trying to pin him down and take revenge.

**26 – Jump**  
Aside from Tokino's infrequent visits, there never really was anyone he felt close to, felt safe with, nobody he could trust; now, there is Asato's happy laughter, Rai's not really angry cursing, and Bardo's hand, for a secret moment warm against his back, and it is enough to make him wonder why he ever thought that he wanted to live this life alone.

**27 – Jester**  
It takes Konoe some time until he can distinguish when Bardo is joking and when he is sincere; Bardo laughs about everything—mishaps, problems, embarrassing things—and loves to tease him even more, but soon he discovers something else whenever Bardo talks to him: an added warmth, an added joy, something true and steady beneath the mischief sparkling in his eyes, and although Konoe has never seen anything quite like this before, he knows that it is too powerful to be a whimsy—whatever it is, it is _real_.

**28 – Jousting**  
The material of the scabbard has become dull with disuse—how ironic, there once was a time when he used to shine it regularly, with obsessive care—and the weight feels strange against his hip after all these years—funny, didn't he once think of it as an extension of himself?—but it is only when his hand wraps around the hilt and pulls, fingers fitting into the depressions left in the leather perfectly, that the fear spikes through him and the foul magic in him roars in triumph, surging like fire down his arm; he wants nothing more than to fling the sword away and never look at it again, but he won't, he can't—Konoe is fighting with four times the curse and does not falter, so Bardo will be strong for him, even when he himself is weak.

**29 – Jewel** (companion piece to #24)  
It is much later when Konoe comes to him, his eyes calm once more, but although his voice is quiet, it is hard and clear like a diamond: "In Karou, cats _ate_ each other to survive. Those too weak to hold their territory had to starve. I've taken care of myself ever since my mother died, Bardo. I'm not a child."—"I know," he says, and means it, "I know you aren't, it's just…"—how can he put it into words, irrational as it is?—and while he is still struggling with the right words, Konoe's eyes soften, his voice returning to its gentle tone, "I want to stay with you for a very long time. Trust me in this like I trust in you."

**30 – Just**  
It is only a uniform, folds of soft but sturdy cloth fit for working in; it is more than a little ridiculous how happy it makes him—really, as if a piece of clothing were proof of anything, as if he hadn't been part of this (this place, this home, Bardo's life) before—and the fact that Bardo went to all those lengths to keep it a secret—the uniform fits him so perfectly, what did Bardo do, take his measurements in his _sleep_?—is ridiculous, too; "You really planned this out, huh?" he says, lifting his arms to let Bardo tie the apron around his waist, and is unable to hold back his smile when Bardo nods into his hair.

**31 – Smirk**  
The kiss leaves him breathless, the hand parting the folds of his shirt even more so, and doing these sorts of things in the kitchen is really not the best idea, but he is having a hard time voicing the thought—something touches his chest, cool and wet and sticky, startling him into glancing down to catch drops of a golden-brown liquid on his chest, and Bardo grinning and holding a bottle—"Idiot! Pervert cat! Maple syrup is _not_ used for that!"—but then a sticky finger comes to rest on his lips, smearing them with syrup, and his remaining protests are drowned in another kiss.

**32 – Sorrow**  
At times, a deep melancholy overcomes him for no reason, and Konoe can feel something in his chest twisting like a sleeper in uneasy rest; then, it helps to withdraw for a while and call forth the melody from that fateful day—his father's song equally soothing and powerful—until the sadness subsides, replaced with a faint memory of an overgrown hut in the forest and the sound of two laughing voices, one loud and boisterous, the other hesitant and new.

**33 – Stupidity**  
He flops down on his bed and buries his burning face in the pillow; it is so embarrassing—and at least he got out of there before the stupid pervert cat with his stupid pervert grin saw—and how could he ever agree to this, why didn't he just say no and drag himself back to his room and take care of the stupid problem _on his own_—damn the mating season, damn it damn it _damn it_—without any pervert cats around to laugh at him and say perverted things and smear stuff on him—ugh, gross, he is going to have to wash _that_ off as soon as his legs are cooperating again, and that better be sooner rather than later because who knows when Rai will be back and he does not want to deal with Rai finding out what happened—because he will, he will he will he _will_—and none of this would be happening if he hadn't been the stupidest of all stupid cats.

**34 – Serenade**  
The most he has ever been privy to is Konoe's distracted humming during some task or another, so when he enters the storage room and finds Konoe singing softly, tail swishing as he is putting things away, it is really something new—Konoe falls silent as soon as he becomes aware of his audience, ashamed as if he has been caught doing something indecent, so Bardo quickly closes the door behind himself before Konoe can think of escaping; "I'm not here at all," he says, smiling and leaning back; "Stupid," Konoe mutters, but after a while, his voice rises again, embarrassed and small, singing the words to a sweet, unfamiliar melody.

**35 – Sarcasm**  
It has been close to three months since Asato was last able to visit Ransen, so it is small wonder that the greetings between him and Konoe are particularly enthusiastic, with hugs and laughter and explosive giggles when Asato turns a friendly headbutt into kittenish nuzzling—Bardo, however, feels more inclined to watch Rai, who is observing the entire spectacle with an unreadable expression on his face; "Somewhere, two villages are missing their idiots," he finally says, smirking ruefully and shaking his head, which makes Bardo grin and pat him on the back—"Aw, don't worry, Rai. I bet if you ask nicely, Konoe'll give you the same treatment"—before quickly ducking Rai's swipe at his head.

**36 – Sordid**  
The element of surprise, Bardo thinks, certainly has something to do with why he is left groping for support at the doorframe, his knees suddenly weak—but it is so _good_, and he has to fight not to close his eyes, because he wants to _see_—Konoe's face is intent, his eyes half-closed as he works on him, all warm hands and soft lips and clever tongue—and he cannot help but touch, smoothing trembling fingers over Konoe's hair, cupping the back of his head; Konoe glances up at him, a gleam stealing into his eyes, and then he leans forward to take him in his mouth, and it is all Bardo can do not to moan.

**37 – Soliloquy**  
All his life, Konoe has spent carefully sifting through his thoughts, his emotions, his being, to fight against the terrifying feeling of his empathy overwhelming him, when he used to be no longer sure what belonged to _him_; with Leaks' sleeping soul inside him, his empathy is quiet, subdued, allowing him to sense something else: tingling happiness, soft sadness, soothing calm, searing pleasure—Bardo's emotions trickling through their bond, blending with his own, and Konoe finds that he does not really want to separate those from himself.

**38 - Sojourn**  
He surveys the room that he stayed in for the past two weeks one last time—how strange, it sounds so brief when put into words, like nothing at all, and yet, it feels like a small eternity—and descends downstairs, the bag with his belongings pressed to his chest like a shield—stupid, isn't it, how nervous he feels, almost like an intruder; he opens the door to Bardo's room and immediately notices the change: two beds instead of one, side by side against the wall, and heat spreads across his cheeks at the implications—of course, of _course_, how stupid of him to make such a fuss about it, silly silly stupid cat—but he does not get very far with berating himself because there are suddenly two hands on his shoulders and a warm voice in his ear, murmuring, "Welcome home."

**39 – Share**  
The kuims are supposed to go into a pie, but Bardo has not missed the glances Konoe keeps sneaking at the fruits—he knows Konoe would never ask for any, so it is up to him to spoil him a bit; "Want one?" he teases, waving the kuim in front of Konoe's lips until he glares and bites, white teeth ripping into red flesh, and Bardo happily surrenders the fruit, instead opting to lick up the juice spilling down Konoe's chin.

**40 – Solitary** (companion piece to #42)  
Rai has taken to dropping by every few weeks, under the pretense of resting and restocking his supplies; the real reason (the only reason) is that he comes to check up on Konoe, and Bardo supposes that this should make him jealous or wary when he sees them sitting together—Konoe smiling and gesturing animatedly, and Rai with a private gleam in his eye; it is abundantly clear that Rai would never come for his sake, but Bardo feels happy enough (or desperate enough) to be the third wheel for the sake of a memory from more than ten years ago.

**41 – Nowhere**  
There is a sharp tug on the fishing line, and Bardo lurches forward to reel it in before the fish can snap it; he removes the fish with some difficulty, tossing it in the bucket—it is a sizeable one, easily enough for the both of them, but he wants to try catching some more; he can serve them to his guests, and besides, he rarely has time to do this, an activity that reminds him of a tall man with a kind voice whose features he cannot remember clearly, but… Bardo glances down to where Konoe is sitting on the rock below, eyes closed against the bright light and toes lightly trailing the water—"Hey… tell me if you're getting bored, okay?"—but Konoe merely tilts his head back to look at him, a contented smile hovering on his lips before he shifts slightly, pillowing his head against Bardo's knee.

**42 – Neutral** (companion piece to #40)  
Bardo pretends he has not stopped charging Rai for the room a long time ago, just as Rai pretends he has not stopped getting up and leaving whenever Bardo makes attempts at joining their conversations; Konoe can feel something changing, slowly, subtly, with both men half unaware of the process, so when he ducks out of the kitchen one evening to find them sitting at the table, Bardo talking in a voice that is lacking his perpetual teasing undertones and Rai supplying one-worded answers in something else than his usual unfriendly manner, Konoe quickly backtracks before they can notice him, a private smile playing across his lips.

**43 – Nuance**  
"Stupid cat" is what Rai calls him and "pervert cat" is what Konoe says, though not quite as often, and over time, Bardo has had so many variations of those two insults thrown at him—in exasperation, in outrage, in shock, in protest, the latter sometimes even in passion—that he considers them pet names, but he likes them best when they sound warm: Rai's hidden behind a derisive snort and a sharp smirk, and Konoe's open, murmured with gentle eyes and a sweet smile.

**44 – Near**  
It is no secret that he loves physical contact, loves touching the people he likes, but things are getting just a little out of hand with Konoe—wrapping an arm around his waist, brushing their tails together almost like an accident, bumping hips while they are trying to get past one another in the kitchen, resting his cheek against the smooth warm side of his neck; sometimes, he wonders if that makes him a letch, but he supposes he would worry a lot more if he did not know that Konoe is perfectly capable of telling him off when he isn't interested—with glares and fangs and claws.

**45 – Natural**  
It has become a game to duck under the arms sneaking around his middle and to deftly twist out of the way of a kiss when they are among guests, so natural that Konoe almost _knows_ when Bardo is about to make another move, just like he knows when Bardo is trying to avoid something or wants to be scritched or is going to ask for the salt during cooking, and when he thinks about it, it is almost a little scary to realize their lives have become so entwined, but nowhere near as scary as it is interesting, exhilarating, _wonderful_.

**46 – Horizon**  
"The stars are singing tonight," Konoe murmurs as Bardo steps onto the roof, something in him breathing a sigh of relief despite the fact that this is not the first time Konoe has left the bed in the middle of the night, and he knows then that Konoe is listening to something he cannot hear—this, too, is not the first time, and Bardo suspects that it is part of Konoe's growing abilities, just like all the plants in the backyard are suddenly striving exceptionally well; "What are they singing?" he asks, Konoe curling up against him as he sits down, and he receives no answer, but after a moment, Konoe activates the song—its light familiar, its melody strange—to share what the sky is telling him.

**47 – Valiant**  
Bardo clenches his teeth as Konoe meticulously cleans the wounds and then begins sewing them up—the needle piercing his flesh and the string dragging through hurt almost worse than stabbing his own hand, as ridiculous as it sounds; Konoe does not hurry, setting the stitches with the precision of a healer, his face serious and intent, and finishes by wrapping the hand properly—so properly, in fact, that Bardo feels a little disappointed when he does not finish his work with a motherly kiss—"You're not going to make it all better?" he asks, pouting playfully and not really expecting a reaction, but his breath catches in his throat when Konoe looks at him with those darkened eyes and presses his bandaged hand to his cheek, a shaky sigh his only answer.

**48 – Virtuous**  
In theory, it seemed like a good idea to tempt the pretty kitten with cake batter, since he enjoys his food so much; in practice, it looks like this: Konoe on a stool with a bowl in his lap, eyes closed and purring as he licks the remnants of batter off his fingers, and Bardo staring helplessly as that pink tongue darts quickly in and out; it is really quite ridiculous—the boy does not mean to be seductive, is not even aware of what this looks like to an observer, yet he is reacting to it like a teenager during mating season—"Mmmmm," Konoe hums, a long, drawn-out sound deep in his throat, and Bardo discreetly crosses his legs.

**49 – Victory** (companion piece to #50)  
The last time he sparred for fun was literally years ago, so Bardo is sweating and panting from exertion by the time he has managed to corner Konoe against a tree, pinning his hands; he drops his sword where Konoe's has fallen and bends down, inhaling Konoe's scent, reveling in the sound of his harsh breathing—"Got you," he whispers, leaning in to consummate his victory.

**50 – Defeat** (companion piece to #49)  
Suddenly, his feet are kicked out from underneath him, sending him sprawling in the dirt, and before he can react, Konoe is on top of him, effectively pinning his arms—"Got _you_," he retorts, eyes flashing in triumph, and the position he is in is really quite delectable, so Bardo grins, admitting defeat and offering his mouth for a kiss.

.

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**A/N:** I had a lot of fun writing this pairing, not only because they are more sexually playful than the other two (or at least in a different way), but also because Konoe on Bardo's route is somewhat different than on the other routes. It's hard to put into words, but he seems a bit _younger_ here, which is less due to the age difference between him and Bardo and more due to the fact that Bardo is a very relaxed and playful guy. So yeah, I hope that makes sense. And I do apologize for putting so much sex in there; I really don't believe BaruKono is all about the smexing, but they make writing sex so easy and _fun_.

_Some things worthy of note, for the interested reader:_  
- 16: This is set during the final fight against Leaks; Leaks uses his dark magic to take control of Bardo (and on the other routes, Asato and Rai) through the devil crest on their body.  
- 37: In Rai's route, Konoe develops a rudimentary empathic bond with Rai; something which allows touga and sanga to sense each other's presence and maybe feel strong emotions from one another. It might be weaker in the other routes, since Konoe doesn't get much fighting practice there, but I see no reason why he shouldn't develop a bond with Bardo or Asato.  
- 46: I admit I'm taking creative liberty here; song seems to be Sisa's natural magic - the game talks about the twin moons having a "song", which I doubt is an actual melody, but the sanga-like magic. I theorized that sanga might naturally be sensitive to this type of energy, since Konoe seems to sense it at some points in the game. The bit about the plants is something I stole from Shui, whose sanga powers made "green grow wherever he walked". I think it would only be natural for Konoe to inherit some of his papa's powers. XD;;;

C&C is very much encouraged and welcome. :)


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